Install a metal grommet on the back of each rain boot. Loop a piece of burlap ribbon through grommets. Place a 3-inch-wide cylindrical vase in both boot heels; stabilize with tissue paper if needed. Fill vase with water and seasonal blooms. (We used a mix of hydrangeas and daisies.) Tie ends of ribbon together and hang on a nail.

Take a beloved hardcover off the shelf and put it on your shoulder by transforming it into a smart-looking purse. All you'll need, in addition to the book itself, is half a yard of fabric, a purse handle kit, some ribbon, a button—and a free afternoon.

Fashioned with small, sweet flowers from the garden or even the supermarket, nosegays make perfect party favors (or boutonnieres at a country wedding). Tie them with homemade ribbons that are made with pinking shears from floral fabrics. To keep the flowers fresh, cut them the morning of your party. You might want to provide small vases or containers so guests can tote them home.

Upgrade your picnic table with gilded DIY vases and votives. Use a foam brush to apply adhesive to the outside of a mason jar in small, irregular patches. When the sticky substance turns clear—in about 30 minutes—press on sheets of gold leaf. Then, rub away excess flecks with a paper towel for a lovely weathered patina.

Thread spools of varying sizes and hues (interspersed with colorful wooden beads) on a long piece of embroidery thread. Knot the ends and make sure it's secure. This craft is perfect for decorating any space that needs a pop of color.

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Sang An

Crocheted Tea Towels

Ready-made edgings and borders, available by the yard at fabric stores or adapted from flea-market finds, make it easy to transform even the simplest home textiles into vintage-style home accessories. You can machine- or hand-stitch the filigree embellishments to almost any fabric surface—dish towels, bath towels, bedding, or attire—in an afternoon.

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Brian Woodcock

Trellis Headboard

Using 1-by-4-inch boards, construct a frame with desired height and width (ours measures 6 ½ feet tall and extends 1 inch beyond the mattress on each side). Have your hardware store cut a piece of garden lattice to fit within the frame and affix to back with finishing nails. Use a picture hanger to mount a small mirror three quarters of the way up the headboard. Paint assembled piece in desired color. For a tonal effect that adds depth without overpowering the space, choose two similar shades of one color.

Use leftover spools to give your opened wine bottles a pop of color! Glue spools to ends of corks for a nice finish.

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Polly Wreford

Wildflower Centerpiece

Floral foam and glass marbles aren't the only ways to hold flowers aloft. Instead, a bunch of vintage milk bottles gives this arrangement—featured in Decorating with Flowers by Paula Pryke—its structure. Simply line up nine same-size vessels in three rows of three. Then wrap gardener's twine around the grouping twice and tie the ends. Finish the blooming display by placing two to three stems in each container.

Smart idea: Separate the milk bottles and flowers afterwards to give to your guests as party favors.

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David Hillegas

Wall-Worthy Monogram

Cut your desired letter shape from thick cardboard and hot-glue spools to the surface. Display your colorful initial in your home or gift your craft to a friend!

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Brian Woodcock

DIY Floral Pillows

These feminine fabrics give neutral furniture a fresh-from-the-garden makeover. Tip: All you need is a yard of fabric to make a 16" x 16" throw pillow.

Make paper photocopies of a botanical fabric, then use a utility knife to cut out desired portions of the print. With dresser drawers closed and pulls removed, map out placement of botanicals, then decoupage to dresser using a medium-strength adhesive like Mod Podge (available at craft stores). Once dry, carefully run a razor blade between drawers so they open properly. Finish with a coat of clear acrylic sealant.

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David Hillegas

Simple Centerpiece

Insert the stems of flowers (here, ranunculus) into the tubes of assorted spools, and arrange them around your home. For longer-lasting blooms, add floral foam, which you can dampen with a straw.

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Brian Woodcock

Screen Pantry Door

This switch adds eye-catching country character to the kitchen. For an even bigger impact, paint it a cheerful hue (try Byte Blue by Sherwin-Williams). The small surface area requires only a sample-size pot of paint to get the job done.

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David Hillegas

Decorated Eggs

Robin's Egg: To create the base color shown above, add two drops of green food coloring to standard blue egg dye, and then dye egg. Once dry, dip a fine-tipped paintbrush in a small bowl of brown liquid ink (available at craft stores) and splatter on the egg.

Paper Napkin Egg: Unfold a paper napkin and cut into ½-inch-wide strips. Use Mod Podge and a small paintbrush to adhere strips to the egg, lining up the pattern and trimming away any excess napkin. Once covered, let dry, then apply a final coat of Mod Podge.

Twine Egg: Use a small paintbrush to apply crafter's glue onto the top of an egg. Starting in the center of the top, wrap twine (we used four-ply) into a tight circle. Continue to brush on glue and wrap the egg until it is completely covered. (You will use approximately 12 feet of twine.) Trim excess.

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Lara Robby/Studio D

Striped Tablecloth

Painted lines transform humble canvas into a fancy tablecloth with French country flavor.

STEP 2: Lay the cloth flat. Run a strip of 1/4-inch grout tape down the middle of the fabric widthwise. Then run two additional pieces of tape on each side of the first, spacing them 1/4 inch apart (you'll have five strips total).

STEP 3: Squirt some red fabric paint onto a paper plate and dab a brush in it, off-loading any extra paint onto a paper towel. Working in short strokes, lightly brush the paint on the cloth between the taped areas to catch the grain of the canvas.

STEP 4: Continue to layer the pigment until it appears as dark as desired. Remove the tape once the paint has dried according to the package instructions.

To embellish a tank top, cut a 14-inch-square, scalloped-edged hankie into two pieces. Fold under the cut sides and hem, as directed by the templates. Place the shorter piece atop the longer one so the top edges align; stitch together, leaving a ¼-inch allowance. Finally, fold under the unfinished top edge, then center it below the tank's neck seam (as shown) and sew into place.

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Lara Robby/Studio D

Wallpaper Tree

Any blank surface becomes an enchanted forest with this patterned mural made from wallpaper scraps.

Step 1: Using this photo for reference, sketch a basic tree trunk on the back side of a sheet of wallpaper (you may want to practice first on butcher paper). Once you have your desired shape and height, cut out.

Step 2: On the back of another piece of the same wallpaper, again using this photo as a guide, draw branches of various sizes and shapes—including a group of three attached limbs for the treetop. Cut out the branches.

Step 3: Apply the paper trunk, then the branches, to your wall with ready-made paste.

Step 4: While the tree dries, trim remnants of other brightly patterned wallpapers into leaf shapes — you'll need about 60. Paste these to the wall so they appear to be sprouting from the branches.

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Updated Phone Bench

Create the perfect spot for pulling off boots and sorting letters by rescuing a relic from the rotary-dial days.

Step 1: To begin, pop off the cushion, remove any existing upholstery and padding, and measure the remaining seat base.

Step 2: Cut a piece of three-inch-thick memory foam to those dimensions. Enlarge dimensions by five inches on all four sides and cut fabric and cotton batting to this size.

Step 3: Next, place foam atop the seat base and wrap tightly with batting, using a staple gun to secure the batting to the base's bottom; repeat with fabric.

Step 4: Finally, lightly sand the wood surfaces and wipe clean with a damp rag. After priming, apply two coats of glossy white paint, allowing time to dry in between.

Step 5: To finish, reattach the new seat.

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Curtain Tieback

To create this handy hook, drill a small hole approximately one inch in from the end of the fork's handle. Hold the utensil faceup, then use pliers to bend the prongs back toward the handle, making sure to form a rounded C shape rather than a V. Finish by screwing the tieback into your window molding.

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Kate Mathis

Bamboo Shade

Transform a plain window shade with a sweet stencil. Painting this birdcage motif is a snap, thanks to a goof-proof stencil. Simply center the stencil on the front side of a bamboo shade, so that the top of the design lines up with the top of the shade; secure with painter's tape. Following the stencil package directions, use a stencil brush and acrylic paint to gently tamp the design onto the shade.

Let dry for 30 minutes, then apply a second coat. Wait another 30 minutes before carefully removing the stencil. Allow the shade to dry for an hour before hanging.

To fashion this pretty piece, print out our template, sized to fit an 11¾" × 16" mirror. Trim the template as directed and place the resulting hand-mirror shape atop contact paper. Outline; then cut out. Peel away the backing and center the shape, sticky side down, on the mirror. Spray the mirror's surface with a coat of no-prime acrylic paint. Let dry for 30 minutes; then peel off contact paper.

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Stenciled Animal Mugs

Look no further than the nearest pasture for inspiration to dress up plain dishware. To duplicate these mugs, use farm animal stencils. Affix the stencil to a clean, dry mug, making sure to center the image. Following the package directions, use a soft brush to fill in the outline with dishwasher-safe PermEnamel paint; let set for a few minutes. Carefully remove the contact paper, clean up any edges with a damp cotton swab, and allow the paint to cure for 10 days.

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